Patient monitoring devices, such as those included in hemodynamic systems, include various electrical components that facilitate the collection of measurement data from a patient. In order to protect the patient from electrical shock, any parts that could come in contact with the patient are electrically or mechanically isolated from the mains voltage of the device. Electrical isolation is typically achieved by creating a floating ground that is not at the same reference potential as the mains voltage. As would be understood in the art, the term “floating ground” refers to a ground that is not electrically connected to the earth. In the context of a patient monitoring device, the floating ground blocks potential leakage from flowing to the patient.
Failure of the isolation barrier provided by a floating ground can result in electrical shock to the patient or partial failure of this barrier can result in compromised signal quality. Thus, prior to implementation, manufacturers of medical devices typically test every device manufactured for electrical leakage currents using specialized leakage test equipment. This equipment applies a mains potential on the patient applied part and looks for a breakdown of the isolation barrier. This testing process is expensive, time consuming, necessitates specialized equipment, and requires a trained operator to execute the test procedure. Moreover, it is not uncommon for multiple patient connections to be connected to the same floating ground. This can lead to uncertainty of the parasitic capacitance to earth ground. When two different manufacturers connect equipment together, they are only tested individually rather than together.